Hibiscus rosa-sinensis plant named ‘Forever Young’

ABSTRACT

A new plant variety of  Hibiscus rosa - sinensis  named ‘Forever Young’, characterized by a large fuchsia-pink flower with a red eye and white veining throughout, and with petals that curve along the edges. It is a free-flowering plant with an upright, compact habit. The foliage is glossy and dark green.

Botanical classification: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.

Varietal denomination: The new plant has the varietal denomination‘Forever Young’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Hibiscusrosa-sinensis L., which was developed in a controlled breeding programin Webster, Tex.

The genus Hibiscus comprises about 250 species of herbs, shrubs andtrees in warm temperate and tropical regions; with leaves usuallysimple, mostly palmately veined, lobed or parted; flowers mostlysolitary in the leaf axils but sometimes in racemes, corymbs orpanicles. Hibiscus is included in the family Malvaceae, which comprisesabout 95 genera of herbs, shrubs and trees originating in tropical andtemperature regions. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a glabrate shrub, seldomover 8 feet tall in cultivation, but treelike to 15 feet or more intropical regions. Leaves to 6-inches long, ovate, usually serrate,mostly glossy green. Flowers solitary in upper leaf axils.

The new Hibiscus is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe inventor in Webster, Tex. The objective of the program was to createnew Hibiscus selections with improved bloom quality, color andfloriferousness, plants that can be commercially produced on their ownroot systems, and improved plant habit with regard to vigor andpostproduction longevity.

The new Hibiscus originated from a cross-pollination made by theInventor using ‘Miss Liberty’ (not patented) as the female parent and‘Jazz’ (not patented) as the male parent. The new Hibiscus wasdiscovered and selected by the Inventor as a plant within the progeny ofthe stated cross-pollination in a controlled breeding program inWebster, Tex.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new variety was discovered in a controlled breeding program ofHibiscus rosa-sinensis and differs from its parents and other knowncultivars of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis by the following characteristics incombination:

1. Upright, compact symmetrical plant habit that is suitable forcontainer production;

2. Healthy green foliage;

3. Vigorous growth habit;

4. Large fuchsia-pink flower with a red eye, white veining throughout,and petals that curve back along the edges;

5. Free-flowering.

Asexual reproduction of the new variety by stem cuttings, performed inWebster, Tex. and Fulshear, Tex. have confirmed that the distinctivecharacteristics of the new variety are stable and transmitted tosucceeding generations, and the new variety reproduces true to type.

COMPARISON WITH PARENTS AND OTHER CULTIVARS

‘Forever Young’ is distinguished from its female parent ‘Miss Liberty’(not patented) by having fuchsia-pink petals with white veining; flowersof ‘Miss Liberty’ have scarlet petals with white spots, and have whiteeyes. ‘Forever Young’ is distinguished from its male parent ‘Jazz’ (notpatented) by its flower color; ‘Jazz’ has a flashy bloom with orange,yellow and shiny metallic hues.

Plants of ‘Forever Young’ can be compared to plants of the cultivar‘Erika Nicole’ (not patented). However, in side-by-side comparisonsconducted in Webster, Tex., plants of ‘Forever Young’ differ from plantsof the cultivar ‘Erika Nicole’ in the following characteristics:

1. Flowers of ‘Forever Young’ brighter in color than flowers of ‘ErikaNicole’;

2. Plants of ‘Forever Young’ are easier to propagate via vegetativecuttings than plants of the cultivar ‘Erika Nicole’;

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The accompanying illustrations show a specimen of the new cultivar in aphotographic illustration as true to color as is reasonably possible tomake in an illustration of this character.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of a typical plant of‘Forever Young’;

FIG. 2 illustrates the scale of a typical flower of ‘Forever Young’;

FIG. 3 illustrates the typical young to mature foliage of ‘ForeverYoung’; the abaxial and adaxial surfaces are shown at each stage; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a dissected flower of ‘Forever Young’, includingshape and size of petals and characteristics of the reproductivestructures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

‘Forever Young’ has not been observed under all possible environmental,cultural and light conditions. The following observations anddescriptions are of plants grown in Fulshear, Tex., in February 2003,under polypropylene shadecloth providing a 30 percent light reduction,and under conditions which closely approximate commercial production.Plants described were approximately one year old and in a #3 nurserycontainer. In this description, color references are to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart (2000) and terminology used in thecolor descriptions herein refers to plate numbers in this color chart.Phenotypic expression may vary with light intensity, cultural andenvironmental conditions.

CLASSIFICATION

Botanical: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. ‘Forever Young’.

Parentage:

Female or seed parent.—Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Miss Liberty’ (notpatented).

Male or pollen parent.—Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Jazz’ (not patented).

Propagation: By stem cuttings.

Time to initiate rooting: Approximately 14 to 21 days at 21-24 C.

Time to develop roots: Approximately 42 to 56 days at 21-24 C.

Root description: Fine to medium; fibrous; freely branching.

PLANT

Size:

Height.—Approximately 51 cm from soil level to top of flowers.

Diameter/spread.—Approximately 60 cm.

Form and growth habit: Perennial, evergreen shrub; mostly upright andsomewhat spreading.

Branching: Freely branching; approximately 4 to 8 lateral branchesdevelop after pinching.

Lateral branches.—Approximately 20 cm long and 5 mm in diameter.

Internode length.—Approximately 4 cm.

LEAF

Shape: Ovate.

Apex.—Acute.

Base.—Cordate.

Leaf size: Approximately 12 cm long and 12 cm wide.

Arrangement: Alternate, single; symmetrical.

Margin: Crenate.

Aspect: Undulate.

Texture/substance: Glabrous, shiny.

Coloration:

Young foliage.—Upper side: Near Yellow-Green Group 146A. Under side: NewYellow-Green Group 146B.

Mature foliage.—Upper side: Near Green Group 147A. Under side: NearGreen Group 147B.

Petioles:

Size.—Approximately 3 cm long, 3 mm across.

Coloration.—Near Yellow-Green Group 146A.

Texture.—Smooth.

Hardiness: USDA Zone 10 (30° F. to 40° F.).

Pests/diseases: Resistance to known Hibiscus diseases had not beenobserved on plants grown under conditions approximating commercialpractices.

INFLORESENCE

Bloom period: Typically year-round under subtropical and tropicalconditions.

Flower arrangement: Arranged singly at terminal leaf axils;free-flowering with 3 to 4 flower buds and/or open flowers per terminalapex; flowers face upright and slightly outward.

Flower appearance: Fuchsia-pink petals with a red eye and white veinsradiating from the center; flowers are open for about two days beforeclosing; flowers persistent.

Flower diameter: Approximately 16 cm.

Buds (just prior to showing color):

Rate of opening.—Approximately 1 or 2 days, depending on temperature.

Shape.—Elliptic.

Length.—Approximately 3 cm.

Diameter.—Approximately 1.5 cm.

Color.—Near Yellow-Green Group 146B.

Fragrance: None noted.

Petals:

Number/arrangement.—Corolla consists of 5 overlapping petals.

Shape.—Spatulate with rounded apex.

Size.—Approximately 8.5 cm long and 8.5 cm wide.

Margin.—Entire, but ruffled.

Texture.—Smooth.

Color.—Upper Surface: The “eye” or throat starts near Red Group 46A andtransitions outward to near Red Group 55A, 55B and 55C. Veining is nearWhite Group N155A. Lower Surface: The lower two-thirds of the petal isnear White Group N155C, with the edges darkening to near Red Group 55Band 55C.

Sepals:

Number/arrangement.—5 sepals fused into a star-shaped calyx.

Shape.—Linear with acuminate apices.

Margin.—Entire.

Color.—Near Yellow-Green Group 146A.

Peduncles:

Length.—Approximately 6 cm.

Diameter.—Approximately 2 mm.

Angle.—Upright to about 45 degrees.

Strength.—Strong, flexible.

Color.—Near Yellow-Green Group 144A.

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

Androecium:

Stamens.—Numerous; approximately 50. Stamen Length: Approximately 5 mm.Filament Color: Near Red Group 56B.

Anther length.—Approximately 2 mm.

Pollen amount.—Abundant.

Pollen color.—Yellow-Orange Group 15B.

Gynoecium:

Pistil number.—1.

Pistil length.—Approximately 6.5 cm.

Stigma appearance.—5, rounded.

Stigma diameter.—Approximately 2 mm.

Stigma color.—Near Orange-Red Group 33A.

Style color.—Lower third near Red Group 46A; mid-third near Red Group48C; upper third near Red Group 49C.

Seed production.—Seed production has not been observed.

I claim:
 1. A new variety of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis plant as shown and described. 